Best Fly Sheet that blocks UV rays

[cripplecreekfrm]

Well I am trying to start my research on flysheets in preparation of spring as my mare will have to have a fly sheet almost as soon as she comes out of her blanket this year.

I have a late 4 year old WB mare that is a home bred that will be starting her show career this spring. I’m trying to manage her at home as she is happier out 24/7 with her run-in shed and the big fan that is in there. She is a dark bay that bleaches out VERY quickly. Last summer she actually looked buckskin. I am trying to keep her as dark as possible without locking her inside. So I am looking for everyone’s ideas on the best, lightweight flysheet with a neck cover that blocks at least 95% of the UV rays. I am looking for lightweight because here in VA is does get humid. I would love to find something somewhat durable as well because she is still very much a baby and does sometimes play hard out with her pasture mates. Any suggestions would be great.

[equinelibrium]

I have a SmartPak fly sheet for my mare that seems to work well. I’ve only had her for one summer so I don’t know if she bleaches out normally, but she was jet black all summer long wearing the SmartPak sheet. Can’t speak to the durability as she’s very easy on blankets. She didn’t seem to overheat in it, if anything it kept her a little cooler because of the light color. But I’m not in a very humid area.

And they’re on sale right now!

https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/sm…ly-zone–11107

[BoyleHeightsKid]

I would see this as a copper deficiency… Check iron/copper/zinc ratios in the diet.

https://thenaturallyhealthyhorse.com/2013/12/10/importance-mineral-balance-horses-diet/

[WBmare]

I got a smartpak flysheet last summer for one of my guys who was getting eaten by the bugs. I picked it up super cheap on some crazy sale. I’m really not a big fan of it. I don’t like that way it fits his shoulders. His are a little narrow and the cut was a little low for him. Also when he sweated it just got stinky and heavy and I feel like it just made him hotter. I’m in a humid area too so when it got real hot and humid I ended up just left it off of him. I’m on the hunt for something better this go around.

I agree with BoyleHeightsKid. A copper/zinc supplement would probably help. I actually have my guy on flax seed since he gets itchy in the summer. I also hosed the sweat off every time I brought him in from the field. His coat stayed pretty nice and his winter coat still looks nice.

[mmeqcenter]

Agree with supplementing copper and zinc. I did so last year for my bay mare to help improve her feet, and a great “side effect” (not my original intention) was that she did not bleach out that summer.

[MustangTwist]

@WBmare

I got a smartpak flysheet last summer for one of my guys who was getting eaten by the bugs. I picked it up super cheap on some crazy sale. I’m really not a big fan of it. I don’t like that way it fits his shoulders. His are a little narrow and the cut was a little low for him. Also when he sweated it just got stinky and heavy and I feel like it just made him hotter. I’m in a humid area too so when it got real hot and humid I ended up just left it off of him. I’m on the hunt for something better this go around.

I agree with BoyleHeightsKid. A copper/zinc supplement would probably help. I actually have my guy on flax seed since he gets itchy in the summer. I also hosed the sweat off every time I brought him in from the field. His coat stayed pretty nice and his winter coat still looks nice.

Oh that’s sad. The Smartpak fly sheet is on sale right now and I was about to buy it! Do you have an option you like better? I think my horse will need a neck cover as well. The flies in the area are pretty bad in the summer and fall…

[WBmare]

@MustangTwist

Oh that’s sad. The Smartpak fly sheet is on sale right now and I was about to buy it! Do you have an option you like better? I think my horse will need a neck cover as well. The flies in the area are pretty bad in the summer and fall…

Yesterday I was looking at the Schneiders Mosquito Mesh fly sheet with the bellyband for this year. You can get a hood too. The adjustable shoulders look appealing and I’m hoping it will fit my guy. I have not see one in person yet only online though. I never paid any attention to fly sheets until my newest guy. My other horse could care less so I never bothered. This guy is sensitive and itchy and the flysheet seemed to help even if it didn’t totally fit. It was a good cheap experiment, because I honestly thought he would destroy it within a week. He ripped a brand new blanket within the first 3 days the first winter I had him so I didn’t have high hopes. lol. I was pleasantly surprised that it lasted the season.

[Pico_Banana]

I use the Weatherbeeta summer sheet for my mare. She’s a difficult fit and this has the wither padding that many of their blankets do, but none of their regular fly sheets (that I could find anyway). It has a white plaid material on the top rather than mesh so I believe is very good at UV blocking. And it doesn’t seem to make her any warmer than her Amigo Bug Buster, which fits her horribly.

[cripplecreekfrm]

Thanks! I did start her on the Platinum Performance this fall when she went to a boarding barn so that I would have people around when I broke her so that might help with the bleaching out sine is has both Copper and Zinc in it. I just want to be proactive and find a sheet for her as well so that if that isn’t her issue she doesn’t end up looking like a burnt buckskin this spring. I am looking at the Weatherbeeta summer sheet and the Kool Coat as well.

[luckycricket123]

I like the kool coat detach a neck for my dark bay. The other thing that helped keep him from bleaching was him staying inside. Similar to you, mine are on 24/7 turnout with access to a shed because that is what makes them happy. I never locked him in, but I have a fan on in the stalls and leave hay inside and they almost always choose to hang out inside.

[JB]

@cripplecreekfrm

Thanks! I did start her on the Platinum Performance this fall when she went to a boarding barn so that I would have people around when I broke her so that might help with the bleaching out sine is has both Copper and Zinc in it.

14mg copper, 120mg zinc - not much at all. And the type (amount and speed) of bleaching you stated speaks to a lot more of a deficiency than that can make up.

Supplementation is really more along the lines of 250mg and 625mg respectively. That is what’s in a half scoop/serving of polysaccharide copper/zinc available several places. It’s pretty late to start that to affect this year’s Summer coat, but it would definitely affect the Winter coat and into the subsequent years.

[cripplecreekfrm]

@JB

14mg copper, 120mg zinc - not much at all. And the type (amount and speed) of bleaching you stated speaks to a lot more of a deficiency than that can make up.

Supplementation is really more along the lines of 250mg and 625mg respectively. That is what’s in a half scoop/serving of polysaccharide copper/zinc available several places. It’s pretty late to start that to affect this year’s Summer coat, but it would definitely affect the Winter coat and into the subsequent years.

JB do you have any recommendations for a good supplement for me to put her on?

[JB]

Without knowing her whole diet, no.

If you’re asking about the cu/zn, then HorseTech, Uckele, and California Trace all have the polysaccharide copper and zinc supplements. Some people use the California Trace v/m supplement in either half or full serving to help with better balance on top of other fortified feeds.